New York City Council Stated Meeting Report
Every two weeks the New York City Council meets for its Stated Meeting to introduce and pass legislation. As a regular feature, Searchlight covers these meetings and posts a summary of the bills passed.
STATED MEETING - May 14, 2003
Quote of the Day:
"We all know what happened to the last Office of Emergency Management command center at 7 World Trade. The city should not make the same mistake again." – Councilmember David Yassky voting against a new Office of Emergency Management at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Meeting Summary:
On May 14, the New York City Council approved a location for a new Office of Emergency Management command center in downtown Brooklyn.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration selected the site in Cadman Plaza, because it is close to highways, public transportation, and downtown Manhattan. The former headquarters of the Office of Emergency Management was housed in the World Trade Center and was destroyed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack.
Some City Council members – particularly those from Brooklyn – objected to the site, arguing that it is too close to possible terrorist targets like the Brooklyn Bridge and the U.S. Federal Courthouse, which has been the location of terrorism-related trials in the past.
"I am concerned that this location is not safe," said Councilmember Yvette Clarke.
Councilmember David Yassky, who represents the district where the new building would be located, said that he had even proposed other locations within his district, including the Brooklyn Navy Yard and an unused jail, but that the administration had rejected them for "no good reason at all."
"I'm afraid that the council has been bamboozled," said Yassky.
There are also questions about who will pay for the new building. Some officials have maintained the Federal Emergency Management Agency will pay for it, but Councilmember Peter Vallone said that FEMA only agreed to pay $23 million of the total $120 million estimated cost.
However, the majority of the council members supported the plan, arguing that it was in the best interest of the whole city.
"We're not in Montana or Kansas," said Councilmember Leroy Comrie. "We can't site things 100,000 miles away from everything else."
Councilmember Melinda Katz, chair of the Land Use committee that approved the project, estimated that the building would only be used about eight times a year and would employ about 50 people. She also stressed that the building would not only be used in the event of a terrorist attack, but also for snow and heat emergencies.
The council approved the site by a vote of 38 to 11. The "no" votes were cast by Charles Barron, Tracy Boyland, Bill deBlasio, Oliver Koppell, Hiram Monserrate, Al Vann, David Yassky, Yvette Clarke, James E. Davis, Lewis Fidler, and Eric Dilan.
The council also passed two new laws.
One bill (Intro 96-A) requires employment agencies that place domestic workers in jobs to provide a written statement of the employee's rights under state law.
The measure is aimed at improving working conditions for nannies, housekeepers, cooks, and caregivers.
The contract explains issues like minimum wage, overtime, and workers compensation and must be signed by both the employer and employee. West Side Councilmember Gale Brewer, who drafted the legislation, said it was a concrete way to help bring "dignity and respect" to the city's estimated 600,000 domestic workers who are often overlooked or mistreated.
Another bill (Intro 52-A) requires the Parks Department to fly a black Prisoner of War/Missing in Action flag in 800 public places. Because of the city's fiscal crisis, the council is giving the Parks Department three years to implement the plan. The POW/MIA flags will cost the city $10,000 in the first year, and the council is asking flag manufacturers for donations.
"This bill does not revolutionize the education system, nor does it cure our fiscal challenges," said Minority Leader James Oddo, who helped draft the bill in 1998. "It is a small important gesture."
Both the domestic worker bill and POW flag bill passed unanimously.
The next Stated Meeting is scheduled for May 28.
New York City Council Stated Meeting Report
Every two weeks the New York City Council meets for its Stated Meeting to introduce and pass legislation. As a regular feature, Searchlight covers these meetings and posts a summary of the bills passed.
STATED MEETING - May 5, 2003
Quote of the Day:
"Today is a time for realism. It is time to realize that promises will not balance our budget, that demands will not balance our budget. We have to find a way to get the support that we need." – City Council Speaker Gifford Miller on raising city sales tax and personal income taxes.
Meeting Summary:
On May 5, the New York City Council voted to approve a state budget package – including hikes in the sales and income tax – in order to generate $1.7 billion for the city.
The legislation was not a product of the council, but part of an agreement reached by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and State Assembly and Senate leaders in Albany. By law, the council must approve the local measure – known as a "home rule message" – in the state budget plan.
The proposal includes three new taxes:
• | An increase in the city sales tax by 1/8 of a percent, which would generate $115 million. Combined with an expected state increase of 1/4 percent, New Yorkers could soon pay a 8.625 percent sales tax. |
• | A personal income tax increase for individuals earning more than $100,000 a year and couples making more than $150,000 a year. This increase would produce an additional $600 million for the city. |
• | A property tax surcharge for landlords that do not live in the buildings they own, an action that would raise $44 million in revenue next year. |
Most council members said they were unhappy with the plan, since it included no commuter tax, a "regressive" sales tax, and less state aid than they had hoped for.
It was also the second time in seven months that the council has be asked to raise taxes; last November, the council increased property tax rates by 18.5 percent.
Manhattan's Alan Gerson called it the "best option in the face of miserable choices." Brooklyn's Charles Barron blamed the mayor for the sales tax, saying it was "Mike's tax, not ours." And Queens Councilmember Peter Vallone, Jr. said he was only voting for it with "kicking and screaming."
But given proposals to lay off 10,000 city workers, close after-school programs, shut firehouses, and eliminate meals for the elderly if state aid does not come through, the council agreed to the plan.
The 51-member council approved it by a vote of 46 to 3. (Two council members – Tracy Boyland and Robert Jackson – were absent.) Only the three Republican members - Andrew Lanza, Dennis Gallagher, and James Oddo - voted "no."
"There are reasons why some of us are Democrats and some of us are Republicans," said Minority Leader James Oddo. "If we concede the tax issue, then the GOP should pack it up."
The budget plan would phase out the sales tax increase in two years and the personal income tax in three years.
It also allows for debt refinancing and aid that will save the city $750 million next year, grants the city permission to sell 900 taxi medallions worth $65 million, and expands a $15 million grant program to recruit teachers.
Governor George Pataki has threatened to veto the state budget deal, but state legislators say they are prepared to override his veto.
While much of the attention has shifted to the budget battle in Albany, some City Council members warned that the plan would not solve the city's fiscal problems. Even with the help from Albany – which could total $2.7 billion when it is complete – the city still has a $1 billion hole in its budget.
"We are really here today because we want to spend money we do not have," said Councilmember Helens Sears.
The City Council's budget hearings begin May 7. (Click here for a schedule). The next Stated Meeting is scheduled for May 14.
New York City Council Stated Meeting Report
Every two weeks the New York City Council meets for its Stated Meeting to introduce and pass legislation. As a regular feature, Searchlight covers these meetings and posts a summary of the bills passed.
STATED MEETING - APRIL 30, 2003
Quote of the Day:
"We have managed to make affordable housing part of the discussion of the rezonings that have to go through the council." – Councilmember Melinda Katz, chair of the land use committee, on a plan to rezone Park Slope, Brooklyn.
Meeting Summary:
On April 30, the New York City Council approved a rezoning plan for Park Slope that will construct more than 600 new apartments. The plan allows developers to build 12-story apartment buildings on Fourth Avenue in Park Slope, twice as high as would be permitted under the old zoning regulations. It also includes $6 million in city subsidies to create affordable apartments in the area.
The plan is the first of eight rezoning proposals in Mayor Michael Bloomberg's housing plan, which will generate 65,000 apartments over the next five years. The mayor announced the plan last December and said the Park Slope proposal was a major step forward.
"The council's action sets the stage for other, similar rezonings planned throughout the city, from Greenpoint to Morrisania to the far west side of Midtown," Mayor Bloomberg said in a statement.
But the City Council – which by law must approve all zoning changes – was more tempered in its response, calling it an "acceptable" compromise after weeks of battling with the City Planning Commission.
Three Brooklyn City Council members who represent the area – Sarah Gonzalez, Bill deBlasio, and David Yassky – argued that real estate developers stood to make a lot of money because of the new regulations. In exchange for allowing taller buildings, the council members wanted to require developers to include some affordable apartments in their new buildings, a process known as "inclusionary zoning." (For more, read David Yassky's article Waterfront Housing for Everyone).
The mayor rejected the idea, arguing that placing requirements on real estate developers could kill the deal.
After weeks of wrangling, the mayor and the council reached a compromise, which still allows for taller buildings, but also provides $6 million in loans, subsidies, and tax breaks for developers to build 133 affordable apartments in the area.
"I'm trying to look at it as the glass being half full," said Yassky. "I don't think it's a model for the future, but I think it is a place to start and build on. The money is part of it, but as we move forward with the mayor's housing plan, we also need zoning incentives to ensure affordable housing is built."
The council also approved another land use plan that will preserve the historic South Street Seaport district by limiting the height of buildings. "This has been a dream of the community," said Councilmember Alan Gerson who represents lower Manhattan.
Unlike most Stated Meetings, the council passed no new laws on April 30. The council instead focused on the budget and passed a series of resolutions urging state legislators in Albany to provide a billion dollars in aid to the city.
The council passed resolutions calling on Albany to:
• | Pass a commuter tax |
• | Reinstate all proposed cuts to city schools |
• | Restore cuts to the City University of New York |
• | Provide funding for Medicaid and city hospitals |
• | Save psychiatric hospitals in the Bronx and Staten Island that would be closed under the governor's budget |
• | Use a cell phone tax to fund 911 emergency phone service as promised. |
The resolutions hold no legal power, but represent the council's official message to Albany. "We want to be clear and on the record about the city's need for a fair share of funding on a variety of different fronts," said Speaker Gifford Miller.
The City Council's budget hearings begin May 7. (Click here for a schedule). The next Stated Meeting is scheduled for May 14.